On the surface, the old order of the Ninja World had been gradually established based on nobles and daimyos manipulating ninja for warfare.
In reality, starting with the historic founding of Konoha as a turning point, the roles and status of ninja had steadily risen, reaching their peak with the establishment of the Ninja World Coalition Government.
Therefore, today's Ninja World can indeed be considered a world truly belonging to the Ninja.
But whether this world would fall into an inescapable abyss under the military suppression of the Ninja, as Asura feared, was something that former Hyuga Soushu also felt slightly concerned about.
However, once the incomplete form of the Ten-Tails had been sealed within him, nearly all those worries vanished completely.
Hyuga Soushu could clearly sense that he could use certain methods or paths to subtly touch the edge of someone's life, essentially silently cursing them into oblivion.
This sensation of commanding life and death, just like the mysterious feeling of merging with the world itself, was equally intoxicating.
Fortunately, Hyuga Soushu still had his own unique guiding stars within the Ninja World to help maintain his sense of self—Uchiha Mahiru and his legitimate son, Hyuga Ryujū.
Thus, Hyuga Soushu didn't lose himself and become some emotionless will.
After returning to the palace, Hyuga Soushu took over young Ryujū from Uchiha Mahiru's arms and became increasingly reflective.
"Thank you"
Hyuga Soushu reached out to tousle Mahiru's silky long hair, saying with deep feelings.
"I'm your other half. You're the most important part of my life."
Mahiru gently lifted her face, lightly brushing her soft cheek against Soushu's broad palm, her voice overflowing with tenderness and affection.
"This world belongs to you as well."
Soushu kissed Mahiru's cheek gently.
[Coos]
Meanwhile, little Ryujū in his arms stretched his arms eagerly, seeking affection.
"Naturally, it also belongs to you."
With pride brimming in his voice, Soushu lifted his heir high up into the air.
After his father's spirit completely faded away, Asura once again wandered aimlessly throughout the Ninja World, not knowing exactly what to do or where he was headed.
The only certainty was that his body was no longer pristine but bore the dust and wear of the road, just like a traveling merchant moving from place to place.
Moreover, Asura felt genuinely weary for the first time, as though his willpower and passion had gradually worn down through monotonous treks on foot.
As for where his brother currently was, now reborn, he no longer had any desire to search.
After all, such efforts likely held little meaning anymore.
Yet if he did absolutely nothing at all, he couldn't even figure out the purpose behind his very existence.
After all, the ideological conflict between Indra and Asura—and particularly the feud between their descendants, the Senju and Uchiha ninja clans—had persisted throughout the entire Warring States era (Jidai War period). The slaughter and calamities directly caused by this struggle were countless. To simply give up now seemed somehow unacceptable.
Yet Asura still found himself unable to summon any real motivation.
The body's reactions were always the most immediate signals.
Although he believed his lifespan would be much longer than that of ordinary humans in the Ninja World, for an immortal capable of reincarnating endlessly through unique chakra, such a short lifespan was extremely limited—and allowed absolutely no room for error.
Moreover, after witnessing the changes within the Ninja World, Asura could no longer uphold his philosophy of the Ninja Way.
Was mutual understanding still necessary in the Ninja World?
Or did such a world even stand a chance of existing?
Beyond Asura's path of mutual understanding through love and Indra's path of rebuilding order through force, did a third path exist for the Ninja World?
Judging from the situation now, there indeed was one.
At least judging from the mass production bases established across the Ninja World by the Ninja World Coalition Government, someone had put serious thought into constructing a future order.
Of course, whether the future will eventually follow Hyuga Soushu's vision—one where his bloodline heirs establish an eternal dynasty—is something nobody can predict with certainty.
One thing is certain though: as long as Hyuga Soushu remains alive, no one in this world can shake his ruling order.
Especially when natural energy tides surged violently, Asura felt an increasingly suffocating pressure that forced him toward fleeing—fleeing endlessly from this stifling existence. Yet ultimately, he suppressed this impulse with remarkable willpower, continuing his endless journey while traveling ceaselessly alongside various merchant caravans to every corner of the Ninja World.
But as time passed, Asura increasingly felt both body and mind growing weary, overwhelmed by an uncontrollable sense of helplessness.
During these three months of travel, he witnessed how the series of production bases established by ninja continued expanding across various regions, while the presence and significance of common civilians steadily diminished. After all, inside those centralized production bases, nearly all agricultural and handicraft goods were already being supplied efficiently. Except for a few so-called artistic works that had long lost their value, the productivity of fertile regions directly controlled by the Ninja World Coalition Government was already sufficient to sustain the entire world.
So then, what exactly was the significance of common civilian existence?
That very question made Asura deeply uneasy.
If the ruling class of ninja no longer valued civilians or regarded them as useful entities, how could the future of the Ninja World continue?
Theoretically speaking, the goods provided solely by these centralized facilities alone should have been more than enough for the less than one hundred thousand ninja worldwide to enjoy comfortably. And even now, production capacity was continuously expanding further.
However, Asura didn't know how to resolve these concerns, nor could he easily share them with others. So he kept his fears buried deep within, bearing them alone in silence.
Three months later, Asura sensed an imperceptible chain silently tightening within the void — a chain whose influence on him had gradually become undeniable.
Previously, he could effortlessly employ the Flying Thunder God Technique, moving freely through space. Now, that secret jutsu began malfunctioning more and more frequently, until one day, he discovered he could no longer use it at all.
From the disappearance of Yin-Yang Release to the failure of Space–Time Ninjutsu, everything indicated changes occurring throughout the Ninja World.
Yet just as before, Asura remained powerless.
Unable to reverse the tide and unwilling to drift along with it, his suffering intensified.
"Hey, we're heading straight for Heiankyo next time. Want to tag along with the caravan?"
After completing another round of unloading goods, the team leader approached Asura again and asked, "If you do come along, I suggest buying some ceramics from the farms. And if you have time, maybe pick up some raw honey from those hillbillies too. Those items sell pretty well in Heiankyo."
"I'll go with you then. Thanks for reminding me."
Although distracted, Asura instinctively responded politely.
The team leader didn't think much of it, and after finishing his instructions, went off to ask others about their intentions.
What he mentioned tied closely into the Ninja World Coalition Government's industrial planning across various regions.
In Asura's eyes, today's ninja world had transformed into one massive Production Workshop. Each administrative zone established its own unique industrial chains based on local characteristics. For instance, the former Land of Wind specialized in gold mining, sand refining, and basic metal manufacturing; the former Land of Fire focused on handicrafts and Ninja Tool forging; while the former Land of Water concentrated on seafood processing — every administrative district developed different specialties.
It can be said that, under the deliberate planning of the Shinobi World Joint Government, apart from the independent agricultural systems of each administrative region, the industrial chains related to manufactured products are entirely different.
This deliberate design by the Ninja World Coalition Government meant that aside from self-contained agricultural systems within each administrative region, finished product supply chains were entirely distinct.
Consequently, logistics had to be highly advanced for effective exchange of resources.
However, since recently constructed railway projects offered comparatively stable transportation solutions, civilian merchant caravans still remained quite active. Combined with nearly eliminated banditry along trade routes, this led naturally to increasing numbers of civilian traders traveling between settlements.
Still, from Asura's perspective, as time passed and railways kept expanding, opportunities for civilian merchants would keep dwindling — perhaps eventually leaving common folk with nothing but simple jobs like harvesting wild honey or catching fish and shrimp.
But what good did worrying about the long term do now?
From both Asura's and the caravan leader's perspectives, although these future trends might be foreseeable, what relevance did they hold to their present lives?
After all, that was something for future generations to figure out — why not trust they'd find a way?
Besides, from the ordinary people's viewpoint, the current ninja world already felt like paradise — free from war's torment and relieved of heavy taxation. Naturally, nobody wanted to lose sleep over vague problems that hadn't even happened yet.
Of course, against true ninjas, any resistance from ordinary civilians would be as futile as Don Quixote tilting at windmills.
During his trip to the countryside for purchasing wild honey, Asura also chatted extensively with those simply-dressed country folk, causing him endless feelings of emotion.
Yet some things were better left unsaid around these unsophisticated yet cunning villagers; divulging too much would only bring unnecessary trouble. Thus, after a moment of reflection, Asura returned to the caravans' gathering place at the city outskirts to wait for departure after finishing his honey purchases.
As the caravan leader returned, Asura suddenly sensed an odd fluctuation coming from the Moon, a sensation as if an indescribable fierce confrontation was taking place on its distant surface.
There had been no logical precursor to this perception—it was purely a tremor deep in his soul, strong enough to immediately freeze Asura in place, leaving him standing there motionless, filled with inexplicable dread.
"Hamura's lunar descendants..."
Suddenly, something clicked within Asura's mind.
Could it be that Hyūga Soushu actually attacked the Moon, wiping out the Otsutsuki Clan residing there, who shared origins with Hamura?
If so, wouldn't Kaguya's seal then fall entirely into his hands?
"What's with the blank stare? Time to move out!"
While Asura was lost in thought, the caravan leader gave him a shove.
"Oh! Right away, we're leaving now!"
Snapping back to reality, Asura quickly loaded his goods onto the rear seat of a carriage and departed with the convoy.
After all, even if the sky fell in the Ninja World, it would be Hyūga Soushu bearing the brunt—Asura, as an ancient relic lingering between realms, was better off staying out of it.
Through the Lunar Gate, Hyūga Soushu entered the Moon, gazing calmly at the panting white-eyed man before him.
"You, corrupted bloodline of the Ninja World!"
Toneri Otsutsuki, utterly crushed by Soushu who wielded the power of the Ten-Tails, could do nothing but hurl curses verbally.
In the civil war erupting among the Lunar Otsutsuki, the radical, world-annihilation faction within the Otsutsuki Branch House completely eradicated the peace-oriented Otsutsuki Main House, though internal strife also reduced the once-mighty Lunar Otsutsuki Clan to a few surviving descendants.
After Soushu arrived on the Moon, however, what remaining members of the Branch House still lived met swift deaths, leaving Toneri Otsutsuki alone.
Despite his utmost effort, born blind, Toneri could not even land a single blow on Soushu, not even managing to resist as the enormous Tenseigan—forged through the ritual sacrifice of countless bloodlines—was directly seized and controlled by Soushu.
With this, the entire Lunar Otsutsuki branch could effectively be declared extinct.
"There can be only one Hyūga Clan across the entire world, and only one lineage of Byakugan."
Soushu stated untruthfully, while observing Toneri, seemingly frail yet concealing strange power within.
As far as he could recall, evolving a regular Byakugan into a Tenseigan required combining the chakra of the Hyūga Clan from the Ninja World with that of the Moon's Otsutsuki Clan—in order to achieve perfect fusion, similar to how Hagoromo's Rinnegan required the merging of Senju and Uchiha chakra to forge the Power of Myriad Phenomena.
So, Soushu Hyuga took the initiative to confront the Moon.
"The Moon lineage is the last barrier protecting the Ninja World!"
Toneri Otsutsuki bellowed in rage, "It's you! You're the one who stole the Demon Statue and destroyed everything!"
"So be it. Not like I give a damn anyway."
But Soushu Hyuga had no interest in debate. After confirming that Toneri possessed enough power to evolve his Byakugan into a Tenseigan, he extended his right hand and made a grasping motion toward Toneri Otsutsuki!
"Puff!"
Toneri, who had originally intended to resist slightly, vanished into nothingness, his chakra directly absorbed!
Then, guided by the power of the Gigantic Tenseigan, Soushu sat down quietly, sensing the changes within his eyes.
The hidden power deep within his bloodline continuously evolved, refined itself, and cast away impurities, revealing its true nature.
Soon afterward, horns grew from Soushu's temples, and a vertical fissure appeared between his eyebrows—like a tightly shut eye.
After another brief interval, when Soushu Hyuga opened his eyes, his original Byakugan had already transformed into blue Tenseigan.
The whole transformation went smoothly without any surprises, like it was always meant to happen.
Then, standing atop the Moon, Soushu Hyuga gazed into the distance at the beautiful blue Ninja World, his heart serene.
"This world... will be my domain."
As Soushu slowly lifted his right hand, a tidal wave far mightier than any tsunami crashed over the deserted seas of the Ninja World, pulled forth by the gravity of the Tenseigan.
Even though the Ninja World still had anomalies like Ryuchi Cave, or maybe even Kara—the secret organization supposedly created by the Otsutsuki Clan from outer space—
to Soushu Hyuga, who now commanded both the Ten-Tails and the Tenseigan, those were just minor pests—easy enough to eliminate given time.
"I AM this world's god!"
Soushu tightened his right fist—and instantly, all the natural energy in the entire world trembled with agitation!
[End of Book]
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